The invention relates to a modular construction system for producing a plurality of design variants of a roof module and to a method for producing such roof modules.
Modular production techniques are being increasingly used in motor car construction, wherein certain component groups are separately joined away from the main production line and then incorporated as a finished module again into the main production line. In particular, the production of roof modules according to this principle can be derived from the prior art as generally known. A plurality of roof variants is generally offered for a motor car type, for example solid roofs, sliding roofs, panoramic roofs and the like. To date the roof modules for these design variants have also differed in how they were connected to the rest of the motor car shell. Panoramic glass roofs for example are generally stiffened with a sheet metal frame and adhesively bonded into the shell from above. Other roof variants are joined to the shell from below and often require additional assembly parts and greater assembly expenditure.
For different roof variants of a motor car, therefore, it is disadvantageous that a plurality of assembly stations must be provided in the main production line as each roof variant, as described, is connected to the shell of the motor car in a different way.
Exemplary embodiments of the present invention provide a modular construction system and a method for producing a roof module, with which different design variants of roof modules can be produced that can be connected to a motor car shell in the same way.
Such a modular construction system serves for the production of a plurality of design variants of a roof module for a motor car. In this regard, a plurality of design-variant-specific adapter elements and a plurality of design-variant-specific planar elements are provided. By means of respectively at least one adapter element a respective planar element can be connected to a frame, forming a roof opening, in particular of a shell of the motor car. The adapter elements create a uniform connection interface between the roof and the shell in such a way that all roof modules that can be produced using the modular construction system can be connected to the motor car shell in the same way. It is thus no longer necessary—as known from the prior art—for each design variant to have its own installation station for the roof module in the motor car shell. Instead, all different modules can be incorporated in the same way into the shell. Both production time and production costs can thereby also be advantageously spared.
The design-variant-specific planar elements hereby include preferably planar elements for sliding roofs and/or panoramic glass roofs and/or lifting and sliding roofs and/or solid roofs. All common design variants of motor car roofs can thereby be advantageously realized by means of one and the same modular construction system. A design-variant-specific cover part is thereby produced from the combination of at least two respective planar elements.
The design-variant-specific adapter elements are preferably formed as frames. It is particularly preferable for the adapter elements to be separated into a front and a rear part frame that abut or overlap in the region of the B pillar of the motor car. In order to achieve an additional stiffening of the roof it is possible for an additional transverse reinforcing element to be provided in this area. A respective design-variant-specific cover part is also preferably separated in the region of the B pillar into a front and rear planar element, as in particular the rear region of the cover part often has no differences between different design variants. For example, a sliding roof and a lifting and sliding roof have the same rear planar element. Accordingly, the front planar elements comprising the actual sliding roof or lifting and sliding roof function must be differently formed in the two design variants.
In a further embodiment of the invention a plurality of design-variant-specific functional elements are provided which can be connected to at least one adapter element and/or one planar element. It can hereby be a matter of the actual cover mechanism for moving a sliding roof, an electric drive for movable parts of the roof, window shades, wind deflectors, guide rails or similar.
The invention further relates to a method for producing a roof module for a motor car from a plurality of design variants. Initially, a frame forming a roof opening is provided, in particular of a motor car shell, and then a planar element is selected from a plurality of design-variant-specific planar elements depending upon the desired design variant. In order to connect the planar element to the frame, at least one adapter element assigned to the selected planar element is selected in the next step from a plurality of design-variant-specific adapter elements and the planar element is connected to the frame by means of said adapter elements. The connection of adapter elements and planar elements is preferably thereby carried out by adhesive bonding.
As already described in relation to the modular construction system, the assembly of roof modules of different design variants on the motor car shell can be made uniform so that the number of necessary work stations in the main production line can be reduced.